Push-tow cargo-carrying assemblages

ABSTRACT

THIS INVENTION PROVIDES A TUG-BOAT CHARACTERISED IN THAT ITS BOW OR STEM IS CONSTITUTED BY AT LEAST ONE FAIRING PIECE WHICH IS DISPLACEABLE TO AN OUT-OF-THE-WAY POSITION THEREBY TO LEAVE EXPOSED A BULKHEAD FOR BEING CONNECTED PUSHTOW FASHION WITH A BARGE SO AS TO PROVIDE AN ASSEMBLY WHICH CAN BE NAVIGATED AS A UNITARY VESSEL IN WEATHER CONDITIONS WHICH NORMALLY WOULD PREVENT CONVENTIONAL PUSH-TOW ARRANGEMENTS FROM BEING EMPLOYED. PREFERABLY TWO BUOYANT FAIRING PIECES ARE PROVIDED PIVOTALY CONNECTED ONE AT EACH SIDE OF THE VESSEL AND ARRANGED TO ABUT WHEN CLOSED ON THE LONGITUDINAL CENTER LINE OF THE VESSEL SO AS TO CONSTITUTE A CONVENTIONAL BOW SHAPE. THE INVENTION ALSO PROVIDES FOR A PUSH-TOW TUG-BOAT AND BARGE   ASSEMBLY PROVIDED WITH QUICK RELEASE COUPLING MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAME IN NAVIGABLE STATE. PREFERABLY SAID COUPLING MEANS COMPRISE A PAIR OF APERTURED LUGS RIGIDLY MOUNTED AT THE STERN OF THE BARGE, A METAL STRAP PIVOTED BETWEEN SAID LUGS, A PAIR OF KNEE BRACKETS MOUNTED AT DECK LEVEL ON SAID TUG-BOAT ADJACENT TO ITS EXPOSED BULKHEAD, SAID METAL STRAP BEING ADAPTED FOR OPERATIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID KNEE BRACKETS, MEANS FOR LOCKING SAID METAL STRAP IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID KNEE BRACKETS, AND FLUID OPERABLE PISTON AND CYLINDER DEVICES FOR FORCIBLY RELEASING SAID COUPLING MEANS.

N 1971 G. STOCKDALE PUSH-TOW CARGO-CARRYING ASSEMBLAGES 3 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Aug. 29, 1969 INVE TOR: GEOFFREY swam/21.75

NOV. 2, 1971 STQCKDALE 3,616,711

PUSH-TOW CARGO-CARRYING ASSEMBLAGES Filed Aug. 29, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR;

GEOFFREY STOCI-(DHLE United States Patent 3,616,777 PUSH-TOW CARGO-CARRYING ASSEMBLAGES Geoffrey Stockdale, 57 Greenleas Road, Wallasey, Cheshire, England Filed Aug. 29, 1969, Ser. No. 854,097 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Sept. 6, 1968, 42,395/ 68 Int. Cl. B63b 21/00 U.S. Cl. 114-235 R 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention provides a tug-boat characterised in that its bow or stem is constituted by at least one fairing piece which is displaceable to an out-of-the-way position thereby to leave exposed a bulkhead for being connected pushtow fashion with a barge so as to provide an assembly which can be navigated as a unitary vessel in weather conditions which normally would prevent conventional push-tow arrangements from being employed. Preferably two buoyant fairing pieces are provided pivotally connected one at each side of the vessel and arranged to abut when closed on the longitudinal centre line of the vessel so as to constitute a conventional bow shape. The invention also provides for a push-tow tug-boat and barge assembly provided with quick release coupling means for connecting same in navigable state. Preferably said coupling means comprise a pair of apertured lugs rigidly mounted at the stern of the barge, a metal strap pivoted between said lugs, a pair of knee brackets mounted at deck level on said tug-boat adjacent to its exposed bulkhead, said metal strap being adapted for operative engagement with said knee brackets, means for locking said metal strap in engagement with said knee brackets, and fluid operable piston and cylinder devices for forcibly releasing said coupling means.

This invention relates to push-tow cargo-carrying arrangements, i.e. arrangements in which a cargo-carrying barge is pushed by a tug-boat coupled bow on to the stern of the barge so as to provide an assembly intended to be steered and navigated more or less as a unitary vessel. The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved tug-boat capable of being connected push-tow fashion with a cargo-carrying barge so as to provide an assembly which can be navigated as a unitary vessel in weather conditions, including deep sea weather conditions, which normally would prevent conventional push-tow arrangements from being employed.

A further object is to provide an improved push-tow tug-boat and barge assembly provided with connecting means which facilitate the coupling of the tug-boat to the stern of the barge in operable navigable position, and which provides for a quick release as and when required.

A still further object is to provide a tug-boat which will be usable per se for conventional astern towing, and any other purpose when so required.

Broadly, according to the invention, and in one mode of embodiment, a tug-boat for the purpose specified, is characterised in that its bow or stem is constituted by one, or more, parts or fairing pieces which is or are displaceable as and when required to an out-of-the-way position thereby to leave exposed a bulkhead adapted for operative association with the stern of a cargo-carrying barge.

Preferably the exposed bulkhead is rearwardly inclined or undercut in the manner of a scow end.

Any suitable means may be employed to couple a tug-boat so arranged with the stern of a barge, e.g. lashings, or metal hinges or straps, and such means may b "ice at deck level, or, in the case of the barge, below deck level, according to requirements. Usually but not necessarily the barge to be push-towed will be of a wider beam than the tug-boat.

It will be seen that the invention enables a tug-boat and barge to be coupled together more readily, and with greater mechanical efficiency thereby to provide an assembly capable of withstanding greater strains than heretofore.

The invention is further described with the aid of the accompanying explanatory drawings which illustrate scl1ematically, and by way of example only, one mode of embodiment.

In said drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation depicting a navigable assembly of a push-tow tug-boat and barge according to the invention, and

FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof.

.FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the foreend of the tug-boat drawn to an enlarged scale as compared with FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of quick release means for connecting the tug-boat and barge in navigable position, and

FIG. 5 is a section as on line V-V of FIG. 4.

Referring to said drawings, A generally denotes a tugboat, and B a cargo-carrying barge. The tug-boat A, which otherwise is of more or less conventional shape, is provided with a bow portion or stem comprising two buoyant fairing pieces 10 which are hingedly associated with the main hull 11 of the vessel. Said fairing pieces 10 are shaped and arranged so as to constitute, when closed, a more or less conventionally shaped bow as shown in broken outline in FIG. 3, and are fitted one at the port side and one at the starboard side of the vessel.

Normally, said fairing pieces 10 are seated against a bulkhead 12 which, in a conventional vessel, would be about the normal position of the fore peak bulkhead, and abut each other forwardly on the longitudinal centre line of the vessel. Said fairing pieces are mounted on the main hull 11 by aligned hinges or pivots 13 fitted to the external side plating 14.

When said fairing pieces 10 are moved outboard about their pivots 13 through approximately they expose the bulkhead 12, which is undercut scow-end fashion as shown, and which can be brought into close proximity with the stem 30 of the barge B, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, thereby enabling a strong and efficient connection to be made therebetween.

The pivotally mounted fairing pieces .10 are adapted for movement from closed to open position and vice versa by means of fluid operable, e.g. hydraulic, motor means 15- having drive shafts 16 coupled through universal joints 17 with shafts 18 operatively engaged with fixed gudgeons 19 of said fairing pieces '10. Due to the buoyant nature of said fairing pieces 10, their movement can readily be effected and may if desired be assisted by means of an ahead or astern movement of the vessel de pending upon whether said fairing pieces 10 are to be opened or closed.

Other means for operatively moving said fairing pieces 10 may of course be employed.

A displaceable deck section (not shown) may be provided for closing the gap between said fairing pieces 10 when they are in the closed position indicated in broken outline in FIG. 3. As will be seen said fairing pieces when closed provide a streamlined bow section which reduce the vessels resistance to movement through the water.

The coupling means for operatively connecting the tugboat A to the stem or transom of the barge B comprises, in this instance, a pair of quick-release hinged connectors C which function to rigidly couple the tug-boat A to the stern of the barge B in longitudinal alignment whereby the assembly is navigable substantially in the manner of a unitary vessel.

The connectors C each comprise, see FIGS. 4 and 5, a pair of apertured lugs 31 rigidly mounted into the hull structure so as to be at the deck level B of the barge B at its stern, and between which lugs there is pivoted on a shaft 32 a metal strap 33. Said strap 33 is formed at each side with a recess 34 shaped to accommodate a pair of knee brackets 35 (one only in shown) located at the deck A of the tug-boat A adjacent to the bulkhead 12, and rigidly associated with the hull structure.

Also provided at the deck level A of said tug-boat A, are a pair of opposed jaws 36, 36 pivotally mounted between pairs of lugs 37, 37 on shafts 38, 38'. Said jaws 36, 36' are provided with opposed upper flanges 39, 39- (FIG. adapted to engage over the strap 33 when the latter is positioned therebetween, and with lower flanges 40, 40 which engage below said strap 33. The lower flanges 40, 40' are connected by toggle links 41.

The jaws 36 is provided with a lug 42 (FIG. 5) and a second strap 43 having a clevis rear part 44 is pivoted to said lug 42 by means of a shaft 45 extending through aligned apertures of said lug and clevis. Said strap 43 has an angled head 46 adapted to engage over the jaw 36'. Thus, said jaws 36, 36 can be locked immovably in operative engagement embracing the strap 33 whereby the latter is positively prevented from becoming disengaged from the knee brackets 35. In said FIGS. 4 and 5, the connector C is shown operatively connecting the tug-boat A to the stern of the barge B.

In order that a quick release may be effected, each connector C is provided in respect of its strap 43 with a fluid operable, e.g. hydraulic, impact piston and cylinder device 47. The piston 48 of said device 47 is arranged so as to strike the head 46 of said strap 43 thereby to forcibly impel same to disengaged position, as indicated by the broken directional line in FIG. 5.

The cle vis portion 44 of said strap 43 is formed with a stop-piece 49 which, when said strap 43 has moved through about 90, abuts the adjacent face of the jaw 36 to angularly displace same outwards about its shaft 38. Movement of the jaw 36 is transmitted by the toggle link 41 to the jaw 36', and thus both of said jaws 36, 36' become disengaged simultaneously from the strap 33. Further, upward movement of the toggle link 41 connecting said jaws 36, 36' initiates upward pivotal movement of the strap 33 to release same from the knee bracket 35". Conversely, when the strap 33 is pressed downwards between the jaws 36, 36 downward movement of said 4t. toggle link 41 elfects closing of the jaws 36, 36 about said strap 33.

To fully release the strap 33 from said knee brackets 35 here is provided a second fluid operable, e.g. hydraulic, impact piston and cylinder device 50 the piston 51 whereof is adapted to strike the head of the strap 33 to forcibly throw same clear of said knee brackets 35.

The controls for operating said piston and cylinder devices 47 and 50 may be remotely situated if so desired, for example at or adjacent to the navigating position of the tug-boat A. Pressure fluid for operating said piston and cylinder devices may be derived from any convenient source.

Straps as 33, or lugs for holding such straps, may be provided on the stern of a barge at various levels in order to compensate for differences in draft.

Suitable cushioning devices may be provided to prevent the complementary surfaces of the tug-boat A and barge B from slamming and/or otherwise working together, or alternatively, said surfaces may be so shaped that even when the two are moved one towards the other in severe wave conditions they will not come into contact.

It will be seen that a tug-boat according to the invention is adapted to provide a navigable assembly, comprising at least one barge, which may be used in most weather conditions and wherein the tug-boat may be used in conventional manner as and when required.

I claim:

1. A push-tow tug-boat and barge assembly comprising a barge, a tug-boat having a scow-shaped bow engageable with an end of said barge, and at least one quick release coupling means for connecting said tug-boat and said barge comprising a pair of apertured lugs rigidly mounted at an end of said barge, a metal strap pivoted between said lugs, a pair of knee brackets rigidly mounted at deck level on said tug-boat bow, said metal strap being capable of operative engagement with said knee brackets, a pair of opposed jaws pivotally mounted between said lugs and arranged to engage above said metal strap to retain the same in its operative position, a second metal strap pivotally connected to one of said jaws and having a head portion for engaging the other of said jaws and power operated means for releasing said metal straps from their engaged positions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 580,664 4/ 1897 Foster 11470 1,797,600 3/1931 Baer et a1. 114-77 3,280,777 10/1966 Mat-Zer 114-70 TRYGVE M. BLIX, Primary Examiner 

